Where does “spion” come from?
spion (Hungarian) comes from German Spion, from French espion, from Middle French espion, from Old French espion, from Frankish *spehō, from Frankish spehōn, from Proto-Germanic spehōną, from Proto-Indo-European speḱ- — to see, to look, to observe.
spion (Hungarian): secret agent, undercover agent, informer, mole,...
Definitions
- secret agent, undercover agent, informer, mole,...
Ancestry of “spion”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | Spion | spy; peephole |
| 2 | French | espion | spy |
| 3 | Middle French | espion | — |
| 4 | Old French | espion | spy |
| 5 | Frankish | *spehō | — |
| 6 | Frankish | spehōn | to spy, watch; to peer, to look, to spy |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | spehōną | to peer, look, spy |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | speḱ- | to see, to look, to observe |